Since 2022, the Japan Foundation (JF) has implemented the Japanese Studies Fellow Conferences twice a year in Tokyo and Kyoto, with the aim of promoting the creation of networks among Japanese studies researchers, including the current JF Fellows in Japan. In 2024, the first year of the "Partnership to Co-Create a Future with the Next-Generation: WA Project 2.0," the conferences were restructured as a networking event to foster networks among researchers from Southeast Asia and those from other regions.

Networking in Tokyo

On November 8, 2024, Dr. Lim Beng Choo, Chair of the Department of Japanese Studies at the National University of Singapore, was invited as the keynote speaker at the “JF-GJS Initiative: Japan Foundation Fellow Conference 2024” held at the Ito International Research Center of the University of Tokyo. At the subsequent roundtable, Dr. Pattajit Tangsinmunkong from Thailand and Dr. Alleson Decena Villota II from the Philippines, both of whom are residential researchers in Japan, also joined as speakers on the stage, and had lively open floor discussions with such researchers as JF Fellows currently engaged in research activities in Japan from multiple perspectives on the challenges that Japanese studies researchers of the next generation should tackle. In the afternoon session, following a networking lunch, Dr. Tana Maria Thaemar from the Philippines, a JF-GJS Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia of the University of Tokyo, made her presentation as one of speakers to share her outcome extending beyond Southeast Asia.

Networking in Kyoto

At the conference held at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto on December 20, 2024, JF invited Dr. Phan Hai Linh from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, to give a keynote report on “The Current Situation and Support for Young Researchers from the Perspective of Japanese Studies in Vietnam.” Next, Dr. Kitti Prasirtsuk from Thammasat University in Thailand, who is currently studying in Japan as a JF Fellow, joined the podium as one of the discussants, and provided a multifaceted look at the theme of the morning plenary session, "Social Value of Japanese Studies." In the afternoon, as part of an attempt to deepen cross-regional dialogue beyond the Southeast Asian region, participants were divided into small group sessions, where lively discussions were held on the current state and social significance of Japanese studies as seen through group themes such as “Society & Culture,” “Literature & History,” “Language & Discourse,” “Politics & Systems,” and “Art & Philosophy.” After the conference, as well as a networking reception held at kokoka, the Kyoto International Community House, the evening before the conference, many participants commented that it was a meaningful event that served as an opportunity to forge new relationships among researchers.

Related Page

2024 Japanese Studies Fellow Conference in Tokyo (Go to the official website of the Japan Foundation (JF))